Click the link below to read the annual report. The Letter from the President is printed below and is also in the report. Thank you!
Dear Madison Nordic Community,
As we wrap up another season, I would like to celebrate all that we accomplished given the meager winter conditions we’ve had the past two years. For 2023-24, the snow was minimal but came early and stuck around more than 4 weeks, thanks in part to some miracle work by our grooming team. This helped us hold races, lessons and clinics, and youth programs at Elver with good conditions for many weeks. This year (2024-25) was even more challenging, with only a handful of skiable days on natural snow. We were unable to hold our Tuesday night race series, special downhill or racing clinics, and every adult lesson was held at the CXC trails. Our Trail Kids met at both Elver and CXC Trails for sessions and we are fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteer instructors (including many Madnorski Juniors) sharing the love of winter and skiing with our youngest skiers! When the snow finally came in February, the new sled and groomer was used and the time to groom Elver was cut in half. We can’t wait to see this magic continue for winters to come!
Despite the lack of snow, the Junior team had one of its most successful racing years with six athletes qualifying for either U.S. Junior Nationals at Soldier Hollow or Canadian Nationals at Canmore in Alberta, Canada. Junior Skier Niels Stringer (U16) became Madnorski’s first Junior All American skier placing 4th in the classic individual start distance race at Junior Nationals. Our Juniors coaches and youth committee continue to improve the program with collaborations with other area teams and moving to a COMP and DEVO training group structure, giving our athletes even more options to “challenge by choice”.
Off season programming continues to grow with more fall Dryland Training options for members and a weekly Nordic Walking meetup on Thursday mornings during summer and fall. Our Trail Women program has had fantastic growth, taking ski trips and meeting up for training and hikes. The Elver Trail Run is becoming an established and anticipated fall event, as well as our biggest fundraising event of the year. Last fall we welcomed middle school xc teams to race the 5K course and it was wonderful having so many families out there cheering on all our runners. With the inevitable shift in our winters, these dryland activities will become even more important to staying active and getting outside during the year.
This spring, the Madnorski Board has taken steps to mitigate a large portion of our budget shortfall and we are also considering different levels of future support for the trails at CXC. The financial stability of our club is our #1 priority so that we can continue to deliver on our club’s mission. Your feedback and suggestions are always welcome. It is because of your support – our members and donors – that the successes we’ve had are even possible. Thank you!
See you on the trails,
Carrie Eaton
Madnorski President